Chapter 39: Another Blow
******The Next Day******
A very somber Lauren and Ryan went to school Tuesday morning. Ryan's parents hadn't even told him that his sister had been attacked. He had to hear about it after school. After he was told, he took his car and went and grabbed Lauren, who had also just heard the news. Both needed to see for themselves that Mac was okay. Seeing the dark, ugly bruises around her neck made her brush with death too real. Lauren tried to keep from crying but couldn't. Mac's whispered assurances did little to make her feel better.
"Dudes, she's okay. She can't really talk right now but will be better in a few days," Dick said, knowing the day had been difficult enough for Mac without the stress of keeping a fake smile on her face. His affection for Mac's siblings warred with his inclination to protect her. She'd had a rough enough day.
"We just had to make sure you were okay," Ryan said. He gave her a hug, and Lauren did the same.
"I'm fine. I'll see you soon," Mac said in her croaky voice.
The two teens went to Ryan's car. Neither spoke as Ryan started the car but didn't put it in gear. Then Lauren started to cry again. "I can't believe Mac almost died! I've only known her for two years. Our parents robbed us of a life together, and today she was almost taken from me! It's not fair!" Lauren cried. She hadn't been this upset during her own sicknesses, but knowing how close she'd come to losing the sister she adored terrified her like nothing ever had. Having cancer had made death for herself a constant companion—a dark boogie man she fought frequently. However, her sister getting murdered wasn't something she was equipped to deal with.
Ryan reached out and took her hand, saying nothing. He just waited until she'd cried herself out. Then he squeezed her hand and started the car.
Now it was the next day, and they were expected to go back to school like normal. But nothing was normal. Their innocence was shattered in a way it had never been. The world wasn't a safe place. Bad things had happened to Mac's friends, but she'd never been touched. Knowing she had shook both of them.
Brad hated that he couldn't do anything to make his two best friends feel better. Neither had even called to tell him what had happened. It was only when he picked them up for school that he heard the news. He was a little hurt, but he knew Ryan wasn't one to share things that cut deeply—until he was ready. When Scott walked up and gave Lauren a sympathetic hug, he felt even worse. So she'd told him. She'd called him but not Brad. That stung even more.
"I saw the news this morning. I guess it broke last night, but I didn't hear until this morning," Scott said, making Brad feel better. She hadn't called him either.
A group of five or six PCHers approached them. "So, Ryan, I hear your sister almost bit the bullet. That smokin' hot Kristen better be careful 'cause the women in your life seem to spend an awful lot of time in the hospital," Jesus said with a snicker. His homies laughed. Jesus was the high school leader of the gang. He thought he was funnier than he actually was. He wasn't much of a bully, but he did enjoy ridiculing and aiming well placed put downs. He was Brad's height but dark where Brad was fair. His rugged good looks were usually the first thing a person noticed when he wasn't with his boys. When he was with them, he took on an entirely cocky air that both repelled and attracted others.
Ryan ignored him. Brad, though, rarely ignored anyone insulting a friend. "Knock it off, Jesus," Brad said in annoyance.
"Why don't you make me?" Jesus said, stepping up to him. This 09er may not be as big of an ass as some others in the school, but Jesus wasn't going to let a sophomore challenge him in front of his boys. However, before either boys could go further, Lauren moved, shoving Jesus hard in the chest. The senior was so surprised that he took a step back. His boys mimicked his movement.
"What the hell is wrong with you? How dare you say that! That's my sister that almost died! Some lunatic almost choked the life out of her, and you think it's okay to make jokes? You think that makes you cool?" Lauren demanded, angrier than she could ever remember being. Ryan reached for her, trying to pull her back. Lauren shook his hand loose—she wasn't done. Her totally out of character outburst had drawn a large crowd. However, she was oblivious to the onlookers. Her impotence in the face of her sister's near death experience had pushed her to act rashly in this moment. All she wanted was to knock that smirk off this PCHer's face.
"I had cancer. I had it before I even met Ryan. So let me paint you a picture since you have a pea size brain," Lauren said scornfully. "My cancer almost killed me. I almost didn't live to see my fifteen birthday because the cancer was eating me from the inside. Ryan's sister Mac stepped up and gave me her bone marrow. I found out I had another sister—one who saved my life. Mac is the most amazing, selfless person you could ever meet, and she almost died! Her almost being murdered isn't fodder for your entertainment! Don't you ever make a joke like that again!"
The PCHers weren't much different from Weevil's days in the school. Family and loyalty were still valued more than anything. An attractive and passionate woman with guts caused many of them to look at her in a way they never had before.
Jesus, however, felt something he rarely ever felt. He felt ashamed. Thinking only to annoy the younger boy, he hadn't considered how his words might upset the sister. Like many of the students, he'd watched this young girl carefully. Her battle with cancer had been something that set her apart. She was a wealthy 09er, but she knew more about struggle and pain than probably anyone in the school. Her experience kept her from being a despised and resented 09er. He and his boys had nothing but respect for this girl. Hearing her talk to openly about her own close brush with death moved him deeply. How do you respond to such naked vulnerability? He knew how he dealt with her would be mimicked by many others. He chose his words carefully.
"I meant no disrespect. Honestly. I was joking—it was in poor taste. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Jesus said sincerely. Then held her eyes a moment before turning and walking away. His guys did the same. Not one word of anger was thrown at Lauren for her disrespect.
The crowd around them begin to drift off.
Brad threw his arm around her shoulder and whistled. "Wow! Remind me not to piss you off! What a wildcat you are!" he exclaimed, giving her an admiring glance.
"I thought Brad and I were going to fight some PCHers. I didn't know Lauren was going to defend our honor," Ryan said, grinning at her.
Kristen came up to them. "What was going on? I couldn't get through. Someone said you were fighting with some PCHers," she inquired, concerned.
"Not me. Lauren. She attacked Jesus," Ryan said, his dark mood lifted. He put his arm around Kristen. "Come on. I'll tell you all about it."
"Gee, I didn't know you had a temper," Scott said, a bit awed by her.
"I don't," Lauren said, her face red in embarrassment.
Brad snickered. "Don't get her angry. You won't like her when she's angry," Brad said, channeling Bruce Banner. He'd made Lauren watch all the Marvel movies during spring break.
Lauren shoved him and flounced off. Scott trailed behind her. Brad stared after her, struck by a strong burst of emotion that rocked him. She was incredible, and he was in love with her. The knowledge didn't fill him with happiness; it filled him with despair.
*****Hearst*****
Mac didn't want to miss another day of class, so she went to school just a day after almost being strangled to death. Attending college didn't require speaking, only listening. Since the news broke about her experience, she figured that her professors wouldn't expect her to talk. One of her mother's scarves was around her neck, covering up the bruises. Her throat was better today, but it was still sore. Her voice was still husky. Naturally, Dick found it an extreme turn on. They were late getting to campus because when she said good morning, he had to seduce her.
The thing about dating Dick was that he made everything just a little bit sunnier. He was such an optimist—her opposite since she tended to be a pragmatic realist. However, she found that she preferred his sunny outlook and hoped nothing ever succeeded in dimming it.
When she made it to her first class, there was some whispered stares. One or two asked if she was okay. She just nodded and smiled. Her professor was noticeably surprised to see her. However, he said nothing. When class was over, she took her time gathering up her stuff because she didn't want to be cornered by her classmates. Instead, her professor stopped in front of her.
"Coming to class today is courageous of you, Mac, but you really didn't have to come. Take a few days to rest," he said.
"Thanks, but I'm okay. I don't want to get behind," Mac said. Her teacher winced at her noticeable octave change. Without waiting for any more words of sympathy from him, she turned and left.
Veronica was waiting for her. "I can't believe you came to class! Dick told us, but I had to see for myself. Why didn't you stay home?" Veronica asked.
Mac shrugged. Veronica sighed.
"I know. You didn't want to miss another day. If you'd waited, though, people wouldn't be so interested in you," Veronica said.
"It'll pass," Mac whispered.
"You sound better today," Veronica said. "Does it still hurt?"
"Not as much," Mac acknowledged.
"You can text me back instead of talking," Veronica said with a grin.
"Any news?" Mac asked.
"Dad's not able to connect Danny to any of the other murders, but now having him makes us wonder if the Fitzpatricks are behind all of them. It could be that a different one of them is behind each murder," Veronica said. "We do have some good news, though. The D.A. decided to drop the charges against Max. It's clear he's not behind his girlfriend's murder."
"Good," Mac murmured, glad something was going right.
"Danny did get denied bail, so that's something. Dad texted me just a bit ago," Veronica shared.
Mac felt relief course through her. She was trying to stay strong, but the thought of the man who tried to kill her walking around town made her ill. That was good news.
"You know I met Danny Boyd once our senior year during a case. He seemed mostly harmless," Veronica shared in bemusement. "But he did stand there and watch his cousin Liam almost put out my eye with a tattoo needle."
Mac shuddered. "Do you think he's a serial killer?" she asked.
Veronica shook her head. "I'm no expert in profiling, but I don't think Danny's smart enough. Whatever's going on, he's either a patsy or a foot soldier. Someone else is behind this. I'd bet my last dollar on it," she said firmly. Then she grinned. "Or rather, Logan's last dollar."
Across campus, the killer watched the two women, working hard to blend in. He wasn't upset that Mac was still alive. His plan worked either way. The fear and terror were building. They'd already found his last victim. Once she was identified, they'd really be chasing their tails, drawing wrong conclusions.
The irony made him smile.
******Sheriff's Department******
Keith Mars was struggling. Lilly Kane's murder had been the hardest of his career. He would've said it was some of his worst days. Solving it had finally put so many unanswered questions to rest. Now, though, things were so much worse. If he had to tell another parent that their daughter was never coming home, he wasn't sure he'd ever sleep again. Every day he failed to solve these murders, he felt like he lost another piece of his soul. Arresting Danny Boyd was a huge breakthrough. However, he didn't think Boyd was behind all of the deaths. The guy was too stupid to be their guy. Not to mention, he didn't strike Keith as an angry person. Whoever killed Jessi was extremely angry. She had been beaten to death. Assassins didn't kill that way.
Now he was waiting for the lab to tell him the identity of the poor woman who had washed up on the beach. Surprisingly, she hadn't been killed and then tossed into the water. Instead, she'd been drowned before being tossed in. It was yet another cause of death. Very odd style for a killer. Thus far, the FBI's data base had yet to uncover a pattern that fit any known killers.
"Sherriff, we got back the results. We know who the woman is," a deputy said.
"Who?" Keith asked.
The deputy looked grim. "It's Madison Sinclair."
******To Be Continued******
When I first wrote this story, I had a poll asking who should be killed off. She won the poll. Also, I hate her character. Sure, I've worked hard to mature her—I refuse to believe that people don't grow at all (take notes Rob Thomas). However, I picked her out to be killed before anyone else. Her fate was sealed when she contributed to Veronica's miscarriage.